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LONDON — The world's most famous baby prince met the world today, when Prince William and Duchess Kate left St. Mary's Hospital here with their infant, about 27 hours after he was born amid national celebrations and a media frenzy.

It was the first glimpse of the little prince, wrapped in a blanket, and the first of what are likely to be innumerable pictures to come throughout his life.

All that could be seen of him was the top of his head, which appeared reddish blond, and his tiny hands flexing in the evening light. Kate carried him out, then William took him in his arms.

The couple and the newborn emerged from the door of the hospital's Lindo Wing, where the media mob has been waiting since July 1, to overwhelming flashes of light from the cameras, shouts from reporters and cheers from a throng of onlookers who have been waiting for them all day.

"He has a good pair of lungs on him," William told the gathered crowd, barely audible above the noise of the crowd. "He's a big boy, he's quite heavy." The baby was 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

"It was very emotional, it is such a special time; any parent knows what this feeling is like," Kate added.

William noted that they are "still working on a name." He joked he would remind his son of his "tardiness" when he was older. Kate's due date was supposed to be mid-July, so he was probably about a week late.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William show their newborn boy to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London on July 23. Leon Neal, AFP/Getty Images

A royal supporter reads a copy of 'The Sun' national newspaper, for a day re-named The Son, announcing the birth of a royal baby boy outside St Mary's Hospital in London July 23. Justin Tallis, AFP/Getty Images

The world's press wait in the rain outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital on July 23 in London. Thenew baby prince follows his father and late grandmother Diana by being born under the zodiac sign of Cancer, suggesting he will be a strong leader, according to astrologists. Chris Jackson, Getty Images

Karen Milne, left, from Scotland, wears a mask representing Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as she and her friends Rachelle Rodriguez and Michelle Lewis celebrate the royal birth announcement at Ye Olde King's Head English Pub in Santa Monica, Calif. Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Ed Perkins, a Buckingham Palace official, hands over the birth announcement to a colleague in a car to be driven to Buckingham Palace, outside St. Mary's Hospital exclusive Lindo Wing in London. Lefteris Pitarakis AP

An easel stands in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London carrying an official document to announce the birth of a baby boy at 4:24 p.m. to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at St. Mary's Hospital. John Stillwell, AP

Crowds that witnessed the spectacle were thrilled. "We saw William and Kate drive away in the car and it was rather magical," said Sarel Bernhardt, 46, from Austria.

Bernhardt was in London vacationing with his wife and two children and they decided to stop by St. Mary's Hospital to see if they could catch the action."They are a nice family, a traditional family and that 's what we like about them," he said.

"This whole thing has been great. It's something to be happy about, something that everyone can be happy about," said Christina Schweitzer, 22, a Canadian doctoral student at Cambridge University.

Joanna Ahmed, 27, from Essex, said she nearly cried when she heard about the birth Monday and shed "half a tear" Tuesday when the family emerged from the hospital.

"I can feel for her because, although I'm not a princess, I have been through labor and know how she must be feeling. To do what she did today, come out in front of the press like that, was amazing,'' she said as she held her 17-month-old son, Isaq. Mother and son wore paper crowns.

"William and Kate are young, current and modern -- my era, I suppose," Ahmed said. "They're quite normal as well. William does a normal civilian job, for example. And Kate, she's just the girl next door, isn't she?"

Earlier Tuesday, both sets of grandparents visited, Carole and Michael Middleton first, followed by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall.

Kate's little one, the Prince of Cambridge, was swaddled for his first public appearance in the 100% cotton muslin bird print swaddle from Aden + Anais' "Jungle Jam" four-pack, which retails for $49.99 at adenandanais.com Aden + Anais

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Royal heirs — this one will be third in line to the throne and a future king — typically have at least three names and often four. He will be known as HRH Prince (name) of Cambridge, for his parents' titles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

When William was born in the same hospital in June 1982, his name was not announced for nearly a week. But he and his parents, Prince Charles and his then-wife Princess Diana, left the hospital the day after his birth and posed on the steps of the hospital door with William in their arms.

Kate's quick recovery and exit suggest she had the natural birth she had planned. Details about the birth have not been released, but if she started labor around 7 a.m., then her labor took a little over 10 hours.

William, 31, who is not a fan of the media and has long sought as much privacy as possible for his family, seemed cheerful as he spoke a few words to the army of journalists assembled outside the hospital, some of them since July 1, during a heat wave. He acknowledged the time the journalists had spent outside the hospital, promised a name for the baby soon and suggested subtly that he would be pleased if the new family could be left alone for at least a while.

On Monday after the birth, the British media quoted him as saying in a statement, "We could not be happier." Tuesday, the couple issued another statement thanking the hospital staff.

About four hours elapsed between the birth and when the palace announced it via a series of tweets and electronic press releases. The couple apparently used that time to spend some time alone with the baby, British media reported, and the news did not leak out of the hospital.

The palace did say where the couple and the baby would go next: to their small apartment at Kensington Palace. Kate spent the week before the birth at the air-conditioned estate of her parents in rural Bucklebury, about 50 miles outside London.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom celebrated with its characteristic pomp and pageantry. Fountains ran with blue water; the lights atop iconic buildings blazed blue at night. There was a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London and a 41-gun salute from Green Park near Buckingham Palace.